[IC] The Marauders (Will Return)

[Jones Sparrow]

The Comm's system streamed through his ear, starting with a soft beep to let him know he had someone on his line. He stopped in the middle of the glimmering white hall, and raised an eyebrow. "Copy that. On my way now." His voice still a bit hoarse from the encounter from earlier. "Tango, you know anything about this?"

"Jinayah Ifriti. She's escaped high security prisons three times, and on her last breakout attempt she chose to join the Monroe. Earth-born, has high skills in mechanics..."

As Tango was talking Ray was approaching the door, opening the ramp to reveal... a kid?

"She is also just 16 earth years.

The Captain of the Monroe looked at the council member, then the small girl. He had seen much bigger crew mates. But he hadn't seen so much hatred and anger in some of them as much as he sees it in her's. He bet she could make Grown Tu'Veeri step back intimidated... But Ray didn't look away just yet. He stepped up to the two, and was immediately handed a small remote.

"She's got a shock anklet. If she pisses you off or does something you don't like, just press the button and she's out for the count." The committee officer said. Ray looked down at the thing, then at the girl, seeming to glare at Ray and the remote. He put the remote away, and nodded at the Officer, signalling him that he's got it from here.

The two had a small stare-off for a minute. "You always this grumpy?" He asked, his eyebrow raised. "Wasn't expecting another crew member... and I didn't know they sent kids on suicide missions. But we're running late. And we got a job to do. Welcome to the Monroe. We'll fill you in on the way to the briefing room."

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin offered the Captain toothy false grin, flashing her green gum at him. "Yeah, I've got double the recommended dose of bitch for my age." She watched the Committee officer stroll off, and she gave him the finger with both hands. "...jackass. Hope he gets mugged on the way home."

Once the man was out of sight, she seemed to settle slightly, her dark eyes drinking in every corner of the ship. "The Monroe, huh? Weird name. Can I call her Marilyn instead? I heard she was some hot Earth actress from forever ago. Stole an old reader out of a library once." Either she was deliberately avoiding eye contact with the Captain now, or she was seriously curious.

"Hey Cap - can I call you Cap? Anyway, if I'm really going to die on this mission, could you be kind and just... off me in my sleep?" The smile was still there, but her eyes were fixed on Raymond's face. "I'd rather go quiet than, I dunno, shoved out an airlock to freeze to death in the icy, noiseless vacuum of space, y'know? I know I'm here to be some kinda apprentice engineer or some shit, but let's be real. I'm damn sure you're not planning to teach me the error of my ways or some crap, so you can drop the pretense of briefing me on anything. Just put me in a cell with a view of the stars? I'd like to see somethin' nice before I'm worm bait, 'kay?"

[Hawlin]

A muffled scratching sound emanated from a supply closet, the denoting sign having been flipped to its clean side and '073' etched into the metal. Cramped for most people to be in, Kaite didn't mind the small space and went so far as to efficiently organize the various supplies to make room enough for a shelving unit to be repurposed as a desk of sorts. Behind it, Kaite knelt on his bedding, muttering softly to himself as he meticulously scratched another small fish into the metal wall with his knife.

"...A bottomless sea...a bottomless sea..." he whispered, finely scraping the details of his newest work's scales to make it glisten in the light. Dozens of the figures clustered the corner and floor, disappearing under the blankets and pillows which hid the hundreds of others. Finishing the ordeal, the chimera fell silent, leaning in to almost touch the wall with his face. His eyes were wide, though he closed one to peer into small fish as if trying to see something through a keyhole and close enough where the dull mint green glow of his eye reflected from the fish's beautifully sheered scales. To be honest with himself, Kaite wasn't sure what he was looking for, but felt compelled to do so like how one thoughtlessly bites their nails. It was a use of his time which Tango disapproved of, which was why the security officer left the eyepatch on the desk with a pillow over it after discovering the AI received a feed of the sensors in it.
To that end, it was highly unclear what Kaite did in his closet after the first report of him supposedly vandalizing the ship shortly after arriving.

After a few minutes, Kaite abruptly stood and finished changing, throwing his coat on and placing his box of clothes back in the corner to cover up his work. Kaite gave a few hops to shake himself out before snatching up the eyepatch and stepping out into the hall, putting it on to cover their green eye. Information already listed off an update to the roster that included the addition of another crew member.
A mechanic seemed useful, especially after what happened to the last one. The note of her age caught his attention, however, without a grasp of 'normal' life spans, it was more of a passing curiosity since the other crewmembers appeared to be much farther along with their age.
The idea of someone so young being put on a ship like The Monroe worked a bit of humor to Kaite's spirits, though the chimera wasn't one to be caught smiling. He had little to smile about...

As if conjured by the thought, a young voice sasses their way through the halls and worked a sigh from the security officer as he imagined having to deal with attitude. Ears tipping back, slightly, he considered finding another way to walk before the two rounded the corner. Kaite was compelled to act as though he wasn't avoiding them and instead approached and offered a canned salute before walking along with them.
"Zeh last minute addition?" he rhetorically asked, boots clicking as he walked and slipped on the wired black control gauntlet to begin panning through sensors to check the state of cargo being loaded. "You are velcome to look out zeh vindows, Miss...Ifriti, alzough I must clarify zeht zee Monroe iz your cell" Kaite said in an informing tone, having paused to double-check the girl's name and finding it strange but at least pronounceable...well, half of it, at least.

[Tala Avana]

Shyr watched the entire affair, silently looking at the oddball group that had apparently been stuck together for this little adventure. So they had another small furry creature, a really big fish, an oversized lizard, a smaller overly touchy-feely lizard, the older, boring human and a apparently young one that had a foul mouth and attitude problem. This was going to be all sorts of fun. When the young one mentioned she'd be here as an engineer Shyr had to fight to keep a giant grin from spreading across her face. She hefted her bag further up her shoulder before heading over to them.

"So you'll in engineering with me, eh? I can't help but think we'll get along quite nicely." She said as she looked at the young girl with a smile and a slight sing-song tone to it. After a moment she looked to the Captain, smile never leaving her face.

"In any case, lets get going! I wanna see see how this big Tralamurrpau purrs." She continues before scooting into the main part of the ship, looking around the interior like a child exploring somewhere new. She idly wondered where the main engine room was, but figured someone would end up showing her after the briefing.

[Mistress Dizzy]

@Hawlin@Tala Avana

Jin was about to fire off a hot remark about windows, but it stalled on her lips as she looked curiously at the rabbit-boy... thing... in front of her. She'd never seen anything like him. At least she wouldn't be the only brat running around on the ship. "Miss? You're... way polite for a criminal. Don't call me miss, it's weird. I'm probably older than you anyway. Call me Ifriti, or whatever serial number they threw on me this time. Pick one with a prime number, I like those." She popped her gum, wincing at the flavor. She had to shake these people before the ship got out of port.

Almost as soon as she thought that, another figure joined them. Rusty-red, feline, and irritatingly perky. "So you're going to be my babysitter, huh? Cool. I'd love to get my hands on some tools and see what we'll be dealing with." If her escape attempt didn't pan out, at least she'd be working with someone who looked like she wouldn't be bothered by dealing with a kid.

[Jones Sparrow]

"It's the Monroe, Cap is fine, and --" Before he could finish his snarky comment to the younger crew mate, Kaite arrived, as if expecting it. He knew he would be a complication when he attached his eyepatch to the Monroe. He let the two talk, and then came another body, Shyr. The three of them were being polite, and talked with little problem. He knew that the newest recruits would try to assert themselves. But this was Raymond's ship. He would do his best to make that very, very clear if need be. One of his first recruits three years ago tried to take Raymond's quarters. The recruit was twice Ray's size, but after a fight and a lot of injuries, the new recruit was transferred for medical leave in critical condition.

Luckily he had no feeling of that hostility in them... But the way Jin talked and looked around made him uneasy. As if she was looking for the nearest exit... He wasn't going to judge the kid, and besides, Tango wouldn't let anyone get out of the ship that easily. The AI was still Galactic Committee property, and had very strict protocol when it came to many things.

"You'll get to see what the Monroe has to offer, but for now, we gotta get this done.

He lead the three to the meeting room, the large rectangular table meant to hold meetings of any kind. In the center of the table was a hologram projector, which came in handy to show maps and persons of interest. "This'll be quick I promise. Sit back, relax, and wait for the rest of the crew."

[Hawlin]

The response was a bit different than what Kaite had expected. From how 'Ifriti' behaved and appeared, Kaite had convinced himself that trying his best at being playful would lighten the mood. Unfortunately, she seemed more intent on confrontation...at least to Kaite.
"Pardon, miss Ifriti. I vill note your preference" Kaite snarkily replied with his usual air of professionalism. His hand twitched and the HUD updated to replace her prisoner number with 'Miss Ifriti' so he wouldn't forget to make a point of it. "To elucidate, I vahz not found guilty ouf a crime...ehn you are likely much older zehn myself" he pointed out as they walked, his answers poised to cause only more questions which he wasn't in the mood to answer. Rather, the idea of tempering Jin's behavior with a layer of confusion seemed like a good way to start things off.
Her mention of serial numbers made his neck itch, curious if they tattooed numbers on criminals. The thought hadn't occurred until she brought it up, but it was comforting on a small level to know that he wasn't the only one who couldn't escape a number.
"I can see to eit zeht a room vill be found for you...short notice notwithstanding" Kaite made to assure, having no reason to slight such a simple request.

Thankfully, the other mechanic was on the scene to engage Jin. A small sigh of relief broke Kaite's statuesque composure, joyed that there was someone on the ship who was up for dealing with the other mechanic. Doubly beneficial was how they both had similar positions. Before he could even think his next though, it came to him as his thoughts drifted somewhere between wondering about the committee addition, Doctor Achieng and a thought about the briefing as Raymond mentioned it.

Finally, after the noise died down, Kaite distantly wondered how much of the new recruits he would actually end up seeing. They all had their jobs, so...why would he see them?
Others were always reclusive and needed to be checked on in case of suicides. The roster didn't seem like the kind of setup to be worried about.

Entering the room, Kaite picked a seat by one of the ends of the table. Tactfully crossing one leg over the other, his foot bobbed in the air while his gloved fingers twitched, probably reading something.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin tipped her head, staring intently at the rabbit boy long enough to make it uncomfortable. Then she grinned widely, letting out an amused snort of a laugh. "Who knew bunnies had brass balls? I can respect that. I dunno who you pissed off to wind up here without actually breaking any laws, but it's nice not to be the only one who needs to climb to reach the high shelves." She looked around at the meeting room, then announced to the room in general: "Hey, I gotta piss. Where's the privy in this joint?"

-

Once her things were set away and she did some rudimentary set up in the room marked for her therapy sessions, Achieng went to the meeting room, following the sound of voices. She maneuvered her chair into a corner, to not be in the way, and leaned back in the coolness of the water. The Captain was present, along with that young man with the ears, a feline female, and a small, scowling human girl. "I'm beginning to get very excited about all of this. I can't wait to depart!"

[Jones Sparrow]

Raymond had his arms crossed, staring down at the table as he awaited the rest of his crew. His head was throbbing still, but he was slowly starting to feel better than before. He could feel the anxious eyes on him as more people entered, all interested to see what Raymond Chase had to offer for the new crew mates, some of them even curious on how he had those fresh wounds on his body. He was more focused on trying to find a way to talk about the next mission.

When everyone was present, Raymond coughed a bit and stepped forward, moving his hands to the small console at the end of the desk. "Alright everyone, the Committee has tasked us with intercepting an S.O.S. from a planet on one of our outer sectors in the known galaxy."Ray spoke as calmly as he could, activating the clip that was shown to him only a few minutes before.

"....elp, Help!...Stranded...Planet is....We need Assistance from anyone willing to help... So many dead! Oh, Oh god...!" Gunfire, screams of both men and women, and faint explosions were heard through the muffled static of the message. Raymond ended the broadcast, and hit another button to show the mapped areas of the known galaxy. "This broadcast was traced back to this sector, it's not the actual point where it's broadcasted, but it's the closest we can get in the known galaxy... It's off the grid, and that's why we were assigned to it."

"The predicted source of the broadcast seems to be forty-two clicks northwest of this point. Once we get to the actual sector, it'll be easier to find the signal if it is still present." Tango's voice filled the area, showing the possible predicted path on the map.

"With that said, to get to the outer rim of the galaxy will take a little while. About 18 hours of hyperspace drive. Until then, Tango will operate some maintenance with the crew, and I believe the good doctor has some... documenting to do. Just do your job,
and if you're confused on what that is, talk to myself, or Tango. Any questions? Ray asked, looking around the room before dismissing the crew of concerned looking faces.